Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist, or The Parish Boy's Progress, is a 1838 novel by Charles Dickens. Published serially under the pseudonym "Boz" in monthly instalments from 1837-39 before it was made into a 3-volume novel in 1838, Dickens' novel tells the tale of a young orphaned boy raised in a miserable workhouse, and when he finally runs away to London, he is taken into a gang of thieves, led by the master criminal Fagin. Oliver Twist is Dickens' second novel after ''The Pickwick Papers ''and was even the first major Victorian novel to feature a child protagonist. It has also become one of Dickens' most beloved and popular works. Plot summary A child named Oliver Twist is born at a parish workhouse in a small English town in the 1830s. The boy's mother dies in childbirth and the father is unknown, so Oliver was placed in the care of a home for young orphans. When he is 9 years old, Oliver is sent back to the workhouse by the parish beadle Mr. Bumble, where he and the other children were mistreated and starved. Oliver was chosen to ask for some more food, and when he attempts for seconds, he's punished by the workhouse until Mr. Bumble puts the boy up for sale for anyone who would take him away. A chimney sweeper originally wants Oliver but intervenes, and then the local undertaker Mr. Sowerberry takes the child in as his apprentice. But after a charity boy named Noah Claypole insults Oliver's dead mother, the orphan fights Claypole and then runs away to London. As he reaches the city, Oliver meets another boy around his age named Jack Dawkins, who provides him shelter in a London house led by his master Fagin. What Oliver doesn't know is that Fagin is actually a master thief, and he teaches young boys he took in to steal for him. After a couple days of training, Oliver goes out on a mission with Jack Dawkins, also known as The Artful Dodger and another boy named Charley Bates. As he witnesses the two boys rob a handkerchief from an old man, Oliver is shocked and tries to flee, but is arrested and taken to the courthouse where he falls ill with a fever. The victim of the robbery, Mr. Brownlow, takes pity on him and brings him back to his home to look after him. Oliver recovers in Mr. Brownlow's house and the old man is surprised that the child has a striking resemblance to a portrait of a young woman in his home. But Fagin's members of his gang, Bill Sikes and Nancy, capture Oliver and bring him back to the lair. Later, Fagin sends Oliver to assist in a robbery alongside Sikes. During the break-in, Oliver is shot and wounded, and after Sikes escapes, the orphan is taken into the house by its inhabitants: Mrs. Maylie and her adopted young niece, Rose. Mr. Brownlow was away at the West Indies, so Oliver stays with the Maylie's. He begins to get along with them, and enjoys a blissful summer in the countryside at their cottage. Meanwhile, Fagin and another man named Monks make a plan to capture Oliver and destroy his reputation. At the same time, Mr. Bumble and Mrs. Corney, the matron of the workhouse who is now married to Bumble, is told by a dying old woman named Old Sally about a secret and gives her something she had robbed from Oliver's mother after she died. Monks later meets up with the couple and discover that the trinket given to the Bumble's from Old Sally was a golden locket with the named "Agnes" on it. Monks gets rid of it by dropping it into the river. After Nancy overhears of Fagin and Monks' plan, she informs Rose Maylie everything she had heard. She tells her that Monks is Oliver's half-brother and he plans on destroying the boy's reputation and stealing his whole fortune for himself. Upon Brownlow's return, Rose tells him Nancy's story and they come up with a plan. They meet at the London Bridge at midnight to discuss Monk's capture. At the same time, Noah Claypole, who was sent by Fagin to spy on Nancy, eavesdrops on the whole conversation and reports it back to Fagin. After Sikes heard what his master had told him about Nancy, he kills her in a fit of rage and flees to London. Brownlow figures out Oliver's entire parentage. He has Monks captured and learns most of the story from him. He discovers that Monks' real name is Edward Leeford, and he is the son of Edwin Leeford and his estranged wife Mrs. Leeford. After the couple separated, Mr. Leeford falls in love with a retired naval officer's daughter named Agnes Fleming. But Leeford dies suddenly and leaves Agnes alone and pregnant; whose child would later be Oliver Twist. Brownlow was entrusted the young woman's portrait who was Leeford's friend, and it was Monks' plan to go after Oliver and take back their father's will. Brownlow soon knows everything connected to Oliver, from the resembling portrait and the will to the lost locket. Sikes arrives in London but is pursued by a mob coming after him. He attempts to escape, but accidentally hangs himself. Oliver is brought by Brownlow and the Maylie's before Monks and the whole story is told; with details including Agnes Fleming fleeing from her home ashamed of her illegitimate pregnancy and having Oliver at the workhouse, and Rose Maylie is revealed to be Agnes' sister and Oliver's aunt. Fagin is arrested, tried and executed, the Bumbles founded themselves living in poverty, Monks dies in prison, Oliver is adopted by Mr. Brownlow and the Maylie's and Brownlow's live a happy life together. Characters Oliver Twist- The main protagonist. He is a poor but innocent orphan who was mistreated since he was born. He manages to escape, taken in by thieves but rescued by a kind old man named Mr. Brownlow. He is a kind and good-hearted boy who is charming around him and has good morals. His true identity is the main mystery of the novel and once he finds out, he ends up receiving a large fortune, a home and a family. Fagin- The leader of the pickpockets who Oliver first stays with. He is a master criminal, although he never actually commits crimes himself. He is a master and father-figure to the boys he took in from the streets and trained to steal on his behalf, and kept all the riches that were stolen in his hideout. He attempts to make a thief out of Oliver and even participates in Monk's devious plan for Oliver's fortune. Nancy- A prostitute and member of Fagin's gang. She was obedient and loyal to Fagin's commands and of her love interest, Bill Sikes. But after Oliver first arrived, she expressed her sympathy and nobility towards the boy. She would do anything to help him be safe from Fagin and Sikes, and ended up betraying the group by revealing about Monk's plots. She ended up being killed for it. Rose Maylie- The adoptive niece of Mrs. Maylie. She is a pretty and compassionate young woman who becomes close to Oliver after he began living with her and her aunt, and is willingly to help him. She's also in love with Mrs. Maylie's son Harry, and at the end of the novel, not only was she able to marry him, but she was revealed to be Oliver's aunt, the younger sister of Oliver's mother Agnes Fleming. Mr. Brownlow- A elderly man who first looks after Oliver after he was nearly convicted of theft. He is still loyal and trustworthy of the boy, even if he disappears after he took him in, and after he saw a young woman's portrait who has the same features as Oliver, is hopeful to aid him and discover his true identity. He had connections with one of Oliver's parents and soon adopts Oliver and gives him a happy home after finding out the whole truth. Category:19th-century novels Category:Dickens novels Category:Victorian novels Category:Novels